1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile telecommunication systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to the provision of an updated home zone database for associated mobile subscribers.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the demand for wireless telephone services grows, many service providers are offering different service features to compete with other service providers. One feature offers charging fees for communication services at a lower rate when a subscriber makes a call connection from home. Such service allows the subscriber to designate on an individual basis the areas to be designated as Home to enjoy the service at a reduced rate. Accordingly, a telephone concept which is becoming popular is known as xe2x80x9cOne Numberxe2x80x9d service that allows a mobile subscriber to make a call connection using a single number.
In order to enable the mobile subscriber to utilize the mobile station for any calls, the concept of a xe2x80x9chome zonexe2x80x9d has been introduced. When the mobile subscriber makes a call connection within the home zone using the mobile station, the mobile subscriber is charged at a significantly lower time rate and not charged for the air time rate. Thus, within the home zone (i.e., the subscriber""s home), the mobile subscriber can, using one communication terminal, originate outgoing calls and receive incoming calls without incurring expensive air time rate.
In conventional wireless networks, the home zone list used to classify telephone calls as home zone calls is updated by requiring the subscriber to perform some form of manual intervention. For example, a subscriber who moves from a mobile environment to designate a new home zone location informs the system of the change in the home zone by pressing certain keys (*65) on the mobile terminal in a similar fashion as a conventional call forwarding feature. When the code is dialed, the system determines the location of the subscriber at that time and updates this information into the database as the location of the home zone for billing purposes. However, this way of updating the home zone list is inconvenient for many users and can be triggered accidentally.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method to provide home zone service without requiring manual intervention by the mobile subscriber and to simplify the ways of designating the home zone.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for generating a home zone list in a wireless communication system. The method includes the steps of receiving an address location where the subscriber wishes to define the home zone location; detecting target Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) located within a predetermined distance around the address location; dividing the coverage area around the address location into a plurality of sub-coverage areas; associating the detected BTSs according to each of the divided groups; prioritizing the BTSs within each of the divided groups into a first, second and third tier BTS; and, generating the new sector list for the mobile subscriber based on the sector angle data of the first tier BTS.
According to another aspect of the invention, the new sector list is generated using the second and third tier BTS in the event that the data relating to the first tier BTS is missing.
In another aspect of the present invention, a system for defining a home zone for a subscriber within a wireless communication network comprises a means for forwarding an address location entered by the subscriber; a means for converting the address location into corresponding latitude and longitude coordinates; a means for determining a new sector list defining the home zone upon receiving the address location from the subscriber; and a means for storing the new sector list for the subscriber.